Wednesday, December 15, 2021

WICHITA FALLS, Texas – After leading the Central Washington defense in the program’s fourth consecutive GNAC championship season, Wildcats senior linebacker Donte Hamilton has been named a Second Team All-American by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association.

Named by coaches as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, Hamilton anchored the Central Washington defense that roared to an 8-3 overall record and the program’s first berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs since 2017.

Hamilton finished the season with 78 total tackles, ranking him fifth in the conference. He led the GNAC with six interceptions and his 0.5 interceptions per game ranks ninth in Division II. Hamilton was also ranked third in the conference with 14.5 tackles for loss for 69 yards and 5.5 sacks for 42 yards.

As a unit, Central Washington led the conference with 22.6 points allowed per game, 322.9 total offense yards allowed per game and 129.2 rushing yards allowed per game. The Wildcats finished the year ranked first in Division II in turnover margin (+1.55), third in interceptions (19) and sixth in turnovers gained (31).

The captain of the Central Washington offense, Hamilton was awarded the team’s No. 44 jersey before the season, which is reserved for the player considered to be the team’s defensive leader.